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THURSDAY, April 9

Many vendors had products for off-roaders to try on the trails for free. What better place than Moab to do that? When we were buying our Teraflex kit for the Project TJ we had wanted Black Diamond XT shocks. However, the engineer at Warn said they would be too wide for the Teraflex kit. We decided to find out for ourselves!

Black Diamond

Black Diamond

Black Diamond

Black Diamond

Black Diamond

Black Diamond

The guys took off my Pro Comp 3000's and went to work. The first thing we noticed was how stout the shocks are. They are quite a bit wider than a standard shock. The XT is Black Diamond's "Extremet Terrain" shock, intended for off-road and highway use. Their AT (All-Terrain) shock is softer and intended for mostly highway use.

I really couldn't imagine the shocks being that much better than what I had. At least not momumentally, anyway. I was rudely awakened the second I hit the stony drive out to the highway. My friend, Rick also noticed immediately how different they fealt. We headed straight for some rocky hills and played for a few minutes. There is an overwhelming difference! I could barely feel any bumps through the steering wheel or through the pedals to my feet. Nice!

Out of curiosity, we drove right back to the index ramp. The Pro Comps allowed me to ramp a perfect 1,000 on the RTI. The Black Diamonds ramped a 989. Who cares! The ride was so soft!

The next day, we tested them on Hell's Revenge. No rubbing occurred anywhere and the ride was so exceptional that when I went back to the vendor showcase after the trail I refused to give them back and whipped out the credit card! Oh, so what shall we do with our Pro Comps? Ummmm. Somebody buy me dinner and they're yours. If I have no takers, I'll take a sledgehammer to them!



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